Woman arrested for 'Sangla-tira-benta' scheme in Rizal
A woman was arrested during an entrapment operation for allegedly orchestrating a fraudulent “Sangla-Tira-Benta” scheme and targeting property renters and buyers in Rizal province, authorities said on Thursday, March 5.
The woman was arrested by the operatives from the National Bureau of Investigation-Rizal District Office (NBI-RIZDO) during an entrapment operation in Cainta, Rizal, catching her in the act of selling the fraudulent unit to a victim on Feb. 24.
Prior to her arrest, authorities said that the woman misrepresented herself as the owner of a condominium unit, advertising it for rent in a Facebook group dedicated to “sangla-tira” arrangements.
Police said the victim entered into an agreement with the suspect, loaning her P300,000. In return, the victim was allowed to occupy the unit as a concession for the monthly interest. However, despite promises, the victim said the suspect never provided documentation proving her ownership of the unit.
Later on, the suspect allegedly offered to sell the leased unit to the victim for P1,500,000. Due to trust in their prior agreement and occupancy, the victim agreed to purchase the property.
“The scam was exposed when the legitimate owner of the condo unit appeared and demanded payment for two months of rental delinquency, threatening eviction if the debt was not settled,” NBI said.
They said that the real owner confirmed that the suspect had no authority to sell the property.
Further investigation revealed that the suspect had also illegally mortgaged the legitimate owner’s parking slot without authorization.
“The Subject failed to remit parking rental fees totaling P110,000 for one year, along with a P30,000 deficiency for the condo unit rental,” authorities said.
She was presented for inquest proceedings on Feb. 25 at the Provincial Prosecutors' Office of Rizal for violations of Estafa under Article 315 of the Revised Penal Code, as amended by Republic Act 10951.
“The NBI remains steadfast in its commitment to protecting the public from predatory schemes that exploit the hard-earned savings of Filipinos. This arrest serves as a stern warning to fraudsters who use social media to orchestrate complex property scams like Sangla-Tira-Benta,” NBI stated.